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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Funny how being close friends has put us all on the same cycle. All of us MIA for the last few weeks here.... I for one, have been quite wrapped up with my new blog, which has turned into way more of a project than I'd anticipated. But am I posting just to mention that? No! What I really wanted to talk about was this...

If anyone wanted to break into my private life & stalk me on the internet, all they'd really have to do is make their icon a picture of a ukulele. I know this isn't just me. You get those random Facebook requests- and while the name isn't familiar, the ukulele is there & "accept"!! If there's a mutual friend or two, well heck- double accept.

I've met a lot of fantastic people through the uke scene- people that have changed my life (even in some cases for the better) but I'm sorry... when did playing the ukulele automatically make everyone else who plays the ukulele my friend? Just because we play the same instrument doesn't necessarily mean we have anything else in common, and it certainly doesn't make me social or enjoy "chatting". When the community started up a few years back it was cool... when there were like 10 of us & finding someone else who played the uke was still a novelty. But now...?

Don't get me wrong- I do enjoy the family vibe that there is in the internetz world of ukulele players... it's just getting so big now that it's at risk of losing the intimacy. It's gone from a small family dinner around the table, to "well your second cousins are flying in too" "oh yeah- that's cool. I even know all their names", to a giant family reunion out in a park where everyone has to wear name tags & random people walk up to you & talk to you for like 15 minutes before they realize you're not who they thought you were & now you have to send all these people Christmas cards every freaking year.

Having a ukulele in your possession does not rule out you being a crazed maniac. It doesn't make me wanna read status updates about your cat. One piece of common ground can be the spark that begins a friendship... or things can just get awkward. Everyone's been thrown into that kind of situation before- friend of a friend or something- "Hey, you guys both like soup! Talk about soup!" & then they abandon you with a stranger. "Sooooo... I understand you like soup." "Yep." "Me too." ::crickets:: "Weeeelll... guess I should probably go stick my head in the microwave now..."

I'm not really sure what my point is anymore- if I even had one at the start. Ummm... crack is whack & school is cool? Don't jaywalk...? Oh! I remember now! My point is- a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but a ukulele will gain you access to my facebook page, as well as into Barons pants.

I do consider all uke players my family, keeping in mind that I don't like my family much. The similarities don't end there. High white-trash ratio, questionable taste in clothing, large numbers of large creepy old ladies, beardy uncle type figures that make you feel vaguely uncomfortable... Yep. Uke players are a lot like my fam.

UCB Disclaimer

We can't promise that anything on this site will be interesting, relevant to the ukulele, or politically correct. In fact we can guarantee it won't be politically correct. If you find something offensive and would like to retort, or if you just wish to add your two cents on any blog, feel free to join the party and jump in. If you find something so offensive that you can't stand it, bummer for you. Don't hold any individual comment against another UCBer. Some of us are much nicer than others of us. and each one of us speaks for ourself and only for ourself. -UCB, FEA, TCASI